Enviro News Asia, Bangladesh — The World Meteorological Organization has warned that the Earth’s climate is now more out of balance than at any point in recorded history, as global warming continues to accelerate.
Presenting its latest climate assessment, the agency reported that the period between 2015 and 2025 marks the hottest decade ever recorded. According to WMO Deputy Executive Secretary Ko Barrett, global temperatures in 2025 reached approximately 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900), alongside record-breaking ocean heat levels.
The report highlights a worsening climate situation, with glaciers retreating, ice sheets melting, and global sea levels continuing to rise due to warming oceans and land-based ice loss. These changes are increasingly affecting vulnerable communities worldwide.
WMO Scientific Officer John Kennedy noted that concentrations of key greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—reached record highs in 2024, marking the largest annual increase on record. Preliminary data indicates that these levels continued to rise in 2025, further disrupting the Earth’s energy balance.
The agency also emphasized growing concern over the planet’s energy imbalance, a condition in which more heat is retained than released. This imbalance is primarily driven by greenhouse gas accumulation, causing excess energy to build up within the climate system.
Approximately 90 percent of this excess heat is absorbed by the oceans, intensifying risks for marine ecosystems and coastal populations. More than three billion people rely on ocean resources for their livelihoods, while nearly 11 percent of the global population lives in low-lying coastal areas vulnerable to rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
The WMO called for stronger global action, including improved early warning systems and climate adaptation measures, to reduce risks and protect lives as climate impacts intensify. (*)
